Crab Salad

Yeah Baby we love crab! Nothing better than sweet, fresh from the Pacific Ocean Dungeness caught last weekend by our brother-in-law Mike. And being the generous guy that he is he actually shared some with us. Gotta love him more for that.

Actually we had been eating a lot of crab for several reasons including that we can't get enough of it. Because of this influx of indulgence we were ready to try a new preparation with this batch. We found a recipe in our latest Food Network Magazine for lobster salad that looked more than delish and thought, "Hey, crab would probably be great in this salad too." We decided to give it a try.

First, came the not so fun part; cracking the crab, although we tried to have a beer while we did it to make it seem more like a party! Punctured fingers and small cuts kind of took away the party aspect of the task though. 

But our hard work paid off and we ended up with close to 2 cups of dungeness crab meat that would cost about $60ish dollars if purchased pre-shelled at the grocery.

I first made aioli in the food processor and then mixed the fresh crab with the veggies and herbs. I added some finely chopped red pepper too because we love red pepper in crab cakes and thought it would be just as good in this crab salad. We were happily right on that adjustment.

Next I prepped the butter lettuce. Butter leaf lettuce just always feels decadent doesn't it? It made some beautiful beds for this lush and rich salad.

Next we divided the salad amongst the lettuce cups/beds and added some slivered almonds also. Just thought that little additional crunch added another layer of YUM!

And did it ever! This crab salad was the bomb. Sweet, sweet dungeness crab wrapped in this lovely homemade aioli with some gentle crunch from the veggies and almonds and some further flavor from the fresh chopped chives and tarragon. Served with a little lemon to help balance the richness.

We had it outside on our patio with a lovely Chardonnay while hosting G's cousin for the weekend. 

Needless to say it was a hit. We highly recommend you get some fresh crab (dungeness if you can get it where you are) and give it a try. It would be great for a luncheon, a starter for a special dinner party or the main dish on a warm summer night.



Recipe:

Crab Salad: adapted from Food Network Lobster Salad recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked, shelled crabmeat
• 4 lemons, plus wedges for serving
• Kosher salt
• 2 large pasteurized egg yolks
• 1 clove garlic
• 4 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup champagne vinegar
• 2 teaspoons habanero sauce (or any hot sauce)
• 2 cups canola oil
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red pepper
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh chives, plus more for serving
• Butter lettuce leaves, for serving
• Slivered almonds, for serving

Make aioli: Make the aioli: Put the egg yolks, garlic, mustard, vinegar, hot sauce and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a food processor; pulse to combine. With the motor running, add the canola oil in a slow, steady stream and process until thick and creamy. Scrape into a bowl and set aside.

Gently mix crab meat with with the chopped herbs and aioli, trying to keep crab pieces intact. Clean lettuce and lay on plate. Divide salad amongst lettuce beds. Top with chives and slivered almonds. Serve with lemon wedges.